Gas-making apparatus



y 13, 1930- I A A. SCHWARZ 1,758,858

GAS MAKING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 18, 1927 bu. As

(freq SchWurZ INVENTOR ATTORN EY Patented May 13, 1930 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED SCHWARZ, OF MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO "COAL AND OILPRODUCTS CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE GAS-MAKING APPARATUSApplication filed February 18, 1927. Serial No.169,237.

My invention relates to apparatus for making gas and more particularlyhas reference to a device for separately and simultaneously generatingwater gas and oil gas.

It is an object of my invention to provide an apparatus for themanufacture of both water gas and oil gas in an efficient and highlyeconomical manner.

A further object of my invention resides in the combination of an oilgas retort with.

a water gas generator in such a manner as to utilize the waste heat ofthe water gas production for the manufacture of oil gas.

A further object of my invention resides in the provision of anapparatus for efficiently utilizing the heat of the blow gases of awater gas set as well as the heat contained in the water gas itself forthe generation of oil gas.

According to known processes, water gas is enriched by supplyingdirectly to the stream of gas oils of a gravity not below Baum and as ageneral rule oils bet-ween 28 and 32 Baum are employed for this purpose.Such oils, however, are becoming more and more expensive. Heavier oilson the other hand are at present less in demand and consequently aremuch cheaper and in addition possess higher B. t. n. values. Such heavyoils, however, cannot be introduced directly into the water gas stream,it having been found that large quantities of lamp black are producedfrom certain portions of the oil while, water and oil emulsions areformed from other portions thereof. It is therefore a still furtherobject of my invention to provide an apparatus for utilizing suchrelatively heavy and cheap grades of oil in the production of gaswithout the objec tionable precipitation of material quantities ofcarbon as lamp black and the formation of water and oil emulsions.

For a more detailed understanding of my invention reference is had tothe accompany- 59 In the drawing Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view ofa water gas generator my invention, and

Fig. 2 is an'enlarged vertical section of a modified form of theinvention.

In the drawing like reference characters indicate like elements ofconstruction. Referring to Fig. l, numeral 1 indicates generally acustomary type of water gas generator consisting of the shell 2, bricklining 3, grate 4, steam supply pipe 5 controlled by valve 5, water gasmain 6 controlled by valve G air blow gas main 7 controlled by valve 7*,and air blast main 8 connected to air blower 9 and controlled by thevalve 10. In the top of the generator 1 are inserted one or more retorts11 made of heat resisting material such as nickel chrome steel. anysuitable number of retorts 11 may be employed, two being shown in thepresent modification. These retorts are so positioned in the generatoras to lie in the path of flow preferably both of the air blow gases andthe water gas. It will, of course, be understood that the retortsneedmot necessarily be placed in the position shown, it beiiig onlyessential that they be so located as to be heated either by the blowgases or by the generated water.

embodying gas or preferably both.

An oil reservoir 12 is connected to each of the retorts by feed pipes 13and further associated with the retorts are superheated steam inletpipes lt connected to any suitable source of superheated steam. Suchsteam' might be superheated by the utilization of the waste heat gasesfrom the air blow period of the generator, or even by the utilization ofthe sensible heat of the finished gas. The pipes 13 and 14 preferablyterminate in any suitable nozzle within the retorts for atomizing theoil as is customary when oils are burned in an oil burner. The retortsare also provided with gas outlet pipes 16 which, if desired, may beconnected to outlet 6 at any suitable point. It is to be understood,however, that the specific construction of the retorts 11 and the meansfor feeding oil and steam thereto may take various. -forms. Furthermorethe retorts need not necessarily be placed within the generator properbut may be disposed in a sepaa-te chamber adjacent the generator, thechamber being adapted to receive hot gases from the generator. Also theoil may be preheated by waste gases from the system and a waste heatboiler may be utilized for generating steam andv superheating the same.

In operation coal or other suitable carbonaceous material is supplied tothe generator 1 and combustion. initiated on the grate 4. Valve 6 beingclosed and valve 7 being open, air is blown upwardly from the grate 4from pipe 8 and blower 9untilithe coal bed is raised to inc-andescence.It will be noted that during the air blow period the retorts 11 areheated to an operating temperature by the heat of the blow gases whichwould otherwise go to waste. After the mass of coal has reachedincandescence valve 7 is closed, 6 opened and the air supply cut off bymeans of valve 10. Steam is now admitted through inlet pipe 5 and at thesame time oil and steam are introduced or atomized in the retorts 11through the lines 13 and 14. It will be noted that the heat of the watergas generated by the introduction of steam into the incandescent coal isutilized in the generation of oil gas within the retorts 11, theresultant oil gas being withdrawn through pipes 16. A very rich oil gasis produced and may be sep arately scrubbed in any suitable manner andcollected or, if desired, it may be directly joined at a suitable pointwhere the gases are at a proper temperature in the line 6 with the watergas issuing from the latter. Water r is usually made in this manner inintervals ranging from three to ten minutes, the coal bed being thenblown again with air to incandescence and the operation repeated. Oilgas may be produced in this manner during both periods, that is duringthe blow period and the period of water gas generation, or it may beproduced in either one of these periods. When oil gas is produced onlyduring the water gas generation period, it will be seen that the heat ofthe blow gases is utilized in raising the retorts 11 to an operatingtemperature. Since the retorts segregate the oil gas both from blowgases and the blue water gas, if it is desired to produce a mixed gas,it is only necessary to join the oil gas with the water gas after thelatter is separated from the blow gas.

In Fig. 2 is shown a modification of the apparatus according to whichthe oil gas retort 15 is positioned directly within the blow gas main 7.Oil and superheated steam are introduced into the retort 15 in a mannersimilar to that of Fig. 1. If desired, the water gas may also bedischarged through this main 7 so that the retort 15 will be alternatelyheated by the blow gases and the water gas. Or a separate discharge maybe provided for the water gas so that the retort may be heated only bythe blow gases.

In practice, I have in this manner made ater gas of about 290 B. t. u.per cu. ft. and oil gas of about 1000 or more B. t. u. per cu. ft. Byregulatingthe supply of oil to the retorts and also mixing the oil gasand water gas in regulated quantities, any desired gas mixture, forexample anaverage B. t. u. gas of 587 B. t. u. can be produced. Theexcess carbon in the oil which ordinarily separates as a tarry residue,rather than accumulating in the retorts, is/disposed of therein bydecomposition of a portion of the steam into hydrogen and oxygen andwith the formation of carbon monoxide as from the excess carbon. Sincethe oil in its original state at no time contacts with the water gas andthe steam blown upwardly through the incandescent coal, there is nooccasion for the formation of undesirable water and oil emulsions withinthe apparatus.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specificconstruction here shown and described as the invention permits ofvarious changes and modifications without departing from the spirit ofthe invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

A gas making apparatus comprising a water gas generator, means forintroducing air into the lower portion of said generator,

means for'introducing steam into the lower portion of said generator, ablow gas outlet in the upper portion of said generator, a water gasoutlet in the upper portion of said generator, a plurality of retortsdisposed wvithin said generator, one of said retorts being positioneddirectly in the path of gases removed through said blow gas outlet,another of said retorts being positioned directly in the path of gasesremoved through said water gas outlet, means for introducing oil to saidretorts, and means for removing 011 gases from said retorts.

ALFRED SOHWARZ.

